I’ve been catching up on some classic cinema, thanks to offerings by Amazon Prime Video. I haven’t been that impressed, honestly, but it’s all long-overdue required watching. Let me share a few thoughts and impressions as an expert SFF critic and navelgazer.
1. The Omega Man
This one was actually pretty progressive. 1971 and you’ve got a white lead romancing a black supporting character. I like Charleton Heston, but nothing about this film wowed me. The acting was fine. The music and costumes were kinda hokey. The writing was a bit out there. Richie was a dumbass. And Neville had a small armory in his apartment; why didn’t he just shoot up all those mutants who came to torment him every night? I’m looking forward to watching The Last Man on Earth. It’s gotta be a better I Am Legend adaptation than this and the Will Smith film.
2. Logan’s Run
Well now I finally get that Family Guy reference.
My primary thoughts on this one were: Jenny Agutter was a fabulous addition (I understand her character wasn’t in the original book).
Basil Exposition – what did you do to Duncan Idaho?!
Peter Ustinov is the greatest. Did you know he voiced Prince John in the animated Disney Robin Hood film?
And finally – you’ve saved all the people, hooray! Now what happens? You’ve got a cityfull people to feed, and they have no survival skills. Sounds like it could make for an interesting story. Whoop, the end.
Oh, don’t forget – Fish and plankton and seagreens protein from the sea!
3. Westworld
I kept waiting for the good part. Great scifi idea, and it did have me thinking about our unquestioning trust these days of not only technology, but many systems put in place and run by flawed human beings. Yule Brynner probably had like 10 lines throughout the whole film. Waste of a great actor.
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